Chancellor Rachel Reeves deliberately avoided meeting Kemi Badenoch's gaze during a tense BBC appearance this morning, following the Tory leader's accusation that she had lied about the state of Britain's finances.
Avoided Eye Contact After Commons Clash
The Chancellor looked away as she was stared down by Mrs Badenoch on screen before their separate interviews on BBC's Sunday morning programme. This awkward moment came after the Opposition leader's brutal attacks on the Budget in the Commons, which Ms Reeves later described as making her feel 'uncomfortable'.
Ms Reeves swiped that Mrs Badenoch had been 'personal' in her jibes, which included ridiculing the Chancellor's gripes about 'mansplaining'. However, the Tory leader defended her approach, telling presenter Laura Kuenssberg that her 'job is to hold the Government to account, not to provide emotional support for the Chancellor'.
Budget Lies and Tax Hike Allegations
The barbed comments followed Mrs Badenoch's claim that Ms Reeves had 'lied' about the state of the finances to soften up the public for significant Budget tax increases. The Tories have accused the Chancellor of misleading the country to prepare voters for what they describe as 'monster Budget tax hikes'.
When questioned about Mrs Badenoch's Commons attacks, Ms Reeves responded: 'I don't like that sort of stuff. I don't do it. I try to concentrate on policies rather than personalities.'
She added: 'I would just say that Kwasi Kwarteng and Liz Truss's budget, she said was 100% right, so I'm not totally sure whether her judgment chimes with the British public.'
Political Styles Collide
Mrs Badenoch dismissed suggestions she had gone too far in her criticism, recalling that Ms Reeves had previously called Rishi Sunak a liar and that Labour MPs had mocked Liz Truss as a 'lettuce'.
'They like to dish it but they can't take it,' Mrs Badenoch stated firmly. 'My job is to hold the Government to account, not to provide emotional support for the Chancellor and the people out there wanted someone to tell her she was doing a bad job.'
Despite the visible tension during their on-screen appearances, behind-the-scenes photographs surprisingly revealed that the two politicians shared a joke at one point, suggesting the relationship might be more complex than the public confrontation indicated.
The clash highlights the increasingly personal nature of political debate at Westminster, with both sides accusing the other of crossing lines in their criticism while defending their own approach as necessary political scrutiny.
